The Notre Dame football 2024 season is almost finally upon us. The season kicks off on August 31st against Texas A&M, which promises to be a fascinating one.
On the defensive side of the football, there are a lot less question marks. It was one of the better guys in college football last season, and retained a lot of impact football players. There are still some players we hope to see a lot of this fall.
Throw out realism. This is the defensive depth chart I would like to see next weekend.
Defensive line
DE - RJ Oben
DE - Joshua Burnham
NT - Howard Cross
NT - Sean Sevillano
DT - Rylie Mills
DT - Jason Onye
Vyper - Jordan Botelho
Vyper - Boubacar Traore
There’s no questioning who the most accomplished pass rusher heading into the 2024 season is for the Irish. Former Duke standout RJ Oben will be counted upon heavily to help the unit get to the quarterback more. Adding in the likes of Burnham, Botelho, and Traore to the EDGE group, should make for one of the more talented groups they have had in a couple of years.
Everyone knows about Cross and Mills, who is one of the best interior duos in all of college football. Behind them, the depth is much less certain. In reality, Donovan Hinish is going to play a lot behind Cross. Getting an option with more size on the field, however, is more attractive to me personally. I would be totally fine with Sevillano getting some run inside. You can also add in Armel Mukam to bolster the group, with a couple needing to step up.
Linebackers
MIKE - Drayk Bowen
MIKE - Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
WILL - Jack Kiser
WILL - Jaiden Asuberry
Rover - Jaylen Sneed
Rover - Jaiden Ausberry
Head coach Marcus Freeman was adamant that there are five linebackers who are going to play a lot for the Irish, and that’s this group. One thing we know, Kiser is going to play a lot. How well he transitions into WILL linebacker could determine just how good this group is. Otherwise, it’s going to be a lot of young guys getting their first heavy dose of action.
The position I most am looking forward to is actually rover. Both Sneed and Ausberry bring a lot of alignment potential, both possessing outstanding athleticism to be utilized in a lot of different ways. It’s going to be exciting to see them on the field at the same time in spurts. Along with the young middle linebackers, this is a really talented overall group, although inexperienced outside of Kiser.
Secondary
BCB - Benjamin Morrison
BCB - Leonard Moore
BS - Adon Shuler
BS - Rod Heard
FS - Xavier Watts
FS - Luke Talich
FCB - Christian Gray
FCB - Jaden Mickey
Nickel - Jordan Clark
Nickel - Karson Hobbs
Notre Dame should have one of the best secondaries in college football once again. A big reason for that is Morrison and Watts, who are two of the best at their positions nationally. Outside of that duo, the secondary will have a much different look in 2024.
The exciting part is Gray, who is believed to be a potential difference maker this fall. Shuler has also had a strong offseason, and could be the frontrunner to start opposite Watts. Whether he is the starter or not to begin the season, he should be before too long.
There aren’t any other major surprises. I’ll be interested to see how much of Moore and Hobbs we see. I’m hoping it’s a good amount.
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